Gion Matsuri is one of the, if not the most, famous festivals in Japan. It actually lasts pretty much the the whole month of June but the peak of the festival is July 17th with the Yama Hoko Parade. This is a massive parade where 32 floats are either pulled or carried throughout downtown Kyoto. More massive than the parade itself is the crowds of people that come to watch it. Seriously, if you are not good with crowds, then you might wanna pass on this festival. I was once told that there is an old Japanese joke that goes:

Furano and Biei are about 50 minutes apart by local train or bus but they go together like peanut butter and jelly as everyone talks about them as if they were one place. Furano and Biei are about 3 hours from Sapporo and are most famous for thier flowers (especially Lavender in Furano) and their rolling hills and trees. If you have seen photos of flower fields or empty fields and one single tree, most likely that photo was made at one of these places.

The most famous place in Furano is called Farm Tomita. The best time to go is in July when the Lavender is in full bloom. I was there in late August and there was still some flowers and lavender in bloom, but if you can, go in July.

Biei is most famous for the rolling hills and trees that have been in famous commercials. If you don’t rent a car, a good thing to do is take the “twinkle” bus. There are two different routes, the flower route and tree route. Both routes go to about 5 different locations and you can get off at some of the places for about 10 minutes to take photos and some places you just drive by. If you want more time or don’t want to be on a schedule you really should rent a car for Furano and Biei as the good places tend to be spread out.

Mt. Fuji (or Fuji-san) is Japan’s tallest (3776 meters) and most famous mountain and is perhaps the most symbolic image of Japan. Fuji-san has been popular among artists as long as art has been in Japan. Mt. Fuji is a dormant volcano which has been so since the early 1700s.

On a clear day (which isn’t often) you can see Fuji-san from some places in Tokyo, like Roppongi Hills Tower, or Yokohama. Also while taking the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka, after about 30 minutes from leaving Tokyo you will get a nice view of Japan’s most sacred mountain.If you want to get a little closer I recommend stopping by Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko). Climbing season is during the summer months of July and August. If you want to avoid the crowds you should go on a weekday around the middle of July, when Japanese schools are still in session and before the summer holidays. The photo below was taken from the 5th stage of Mt. Fuji looking away from the summit.

Interested in climbing Mount Fuji? That is one of the things I have on my list of things to do before leaving Japan. To be honest, I know close to nothing about this (other than the peak season is July and August. If you want to climb Mt. Fuji, Japan-Guide.com has a climbing guide to Mt. Fuji, which seems like a good place to start.